Goodbye Glasgow, hello London City. Australia’s Macquarie Group is doing a bit of terminal hopping, quietly exiting its interest in Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton and now taxiing into three new UK airports instead one being London City Airport.
In This Post
What’s New on the Departure Board?
Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) has just sealed a fresh round of UK airport investments:
- 55% stake in Bristol Airport
- 25% stake in London City Airport
- 26.5% stake in Birmingham Airport
All of this comes courtesy of an infrastructure fund managed by Macquarie, which has snapped up the stakes from Canadian pension giant Ontario Teachers. No price tag was shared because, of course not, the deal for London City has already gone through, while the other two are due to close by Q4 2025.
Who’s Handing Over the Keys?
Ontario Teachers’ has been in the UK airport game since the late 2000s, having picked up Birmingham and Bristol in 2007–08 and London City in 2016. But after over a decade of gate-side viewings, they’re stepping back.
Charles Thomazi of Ontario Teachers’ gave the usual polite corporate send-off:
“We are confident the airports will continue to flourish and are pleased to be passing the baton to new investors.”
Translation: Thanks, and good luck with those CAA charges.
Macquarie’s New Boarding Pass
This isn’t Macquarie’s first rodeo. Earlier in 2025, it exited AGS Airports (that’s Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton) and is now placing bets on bigger-ticket terminals with more long-term growth potential. London City, in particular, has been a post-COVID comeback kid, with its central location and short runway turning heads among premium carriers and business travellers.
Gordon Parsons, Macquarie’s senior managing director for Europe, said each airport “has a unique path for growth” and promised more routes and better passenger experiences. We’ll hold you to that, Gordon, especially on those £5 croissants at LCY.
Bonus Layover: Brussels
Meanwhile, Ontario Teachers’ is also checking out of Brussels Airport, selling its stake to Flemish investment arm Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV). That deal ends a 14-year run for the Canadians, who first boarded in 2011. PMV says it’s all about continuing “economic development,” which is code for “please no more strikes at Zaventem.”
TL;DR
- Macquarie is buying into London City, Birmingham, and Bristol Airports after exiting Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton.
- The shares are coming from Ontario Teachers’, who are also offloading their stake in Brussels Airport.
- The London City deal is already done; the others will close by Q4 2025.
- Expect more growth, better passenger experiences and probably some new landing fees.
Still Taxiing? Read On:
